SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Skylanders Spyro's Adventure adds yet another imaginative dimension to kids' social play with the beta launch of Skylanders Spyro's Universe(SM), a vast virtual world for kids to engage with Skylanders characters and their fellow players. Activision Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), today pulled back the curtain on this dramatic expansion of the franchise, further bolstering the variety and value of one of the most innovative and
platform-inclusive digital playgrounds ever devised.

"We conceived Skylanders as a unique, multi-platform experience from the beginning, simultaneously grand in scope yet incredibly easy for kids to embrace," said Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision Publishing. "You can play with friends in the real world or on consoles, Nintendo 3DS, Mac or PC, and now on the web in Skylanders Spyro's Universe. If there's a screen where kids play, we want the Skylanders to come to life there. This also further enhances the play options of every Skylander character."

Found online at universe.skylanders.com, Skylanders Spyro's Universe is a fantasy realm of floating islands designed to encourage world-building, exploration and friendly competition. Kids can craft and customize their own Skylands, play mini-games like Sheep Shot, Sky Defense and Castle Assault, rendezvous with friends and investigate Skylands far and wide, or manage their toy collection and earn achievements. Players who already own the game or figures can input the code supplied with each interaction figure, or use the Portal of Power™ to bring them to life inside the universe. Those who don't can join the fun simply by creating a free online account. Eon, the helpful Skylanders guide, will provide new visitors with a digital starter kit and an array of new adventures to discover over
time.

Skylanders Spyro's Adventure is swiftly becoming one of the holiday season's must-have gifts for the younger set. The game has been featured on the Toys "R" Us "Holiday Hot Toy List", Amazon's Holiday Toy List, the Time to Play "Power Ups" holiday toy list and Toy Insider "Hot 20" list, and is being touted as one of the most exciting and inspired entertainment properties of 2011.

Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and leisure products.

Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain,
Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, South Korea, China and the region of Taiwan. More information about Activision and its products can be found on the company's website, www.activision.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Activision Publishing's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Activision Publishing generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Activision Publishing's actual future
results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Activision Publishing's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, Activision Publishing's ability to predict consumer preferences among competing hardware platforms, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Activision Publishing's products, adoption rate and availability of new hardware (including peripherals) and related software, industry competition including from used games and other
forms of entertainment, litigation risks and associated costs, rapid changes in technology, industry standards, business models including online and used games, and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as music, first-person action and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors, and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers that can create high quality "hit" titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities and potential challenges associated with
geographic expansion, and the other factors identified in the risk factors sections of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Activision Publishing and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Activision Publishing nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of
the future performance of Activision Publishing or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

Skylanders Spyro's Adventure, Portal of Power and Skylanders are trademarks, Skylanders Spyro's Universe is a service mark, and Spyro and Activision are registered trademarks of Activision Publishing, Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.

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